almanac

noun al·ma·nac \ ˈȯl-mə-ˌnak , ˈal- \

|Updated on: 25 Jun 2018

Definition of almanac

1 : a publication containing astronomical and meteorological data for a given year and often including a miscellany of other information

2 : a usually annual publication containing statistical, tabular, and general information

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Examples of almanac in a Sentence

an almanac of town news

Recent Examples of almanac from the Web

Benjamin Banneker, a free and self-educated African-American man born in 1731, spent his life farming, studying mathematics and publishing six almanacs.

— cody boteler, baltimoresun.com, "Banneker Historical Park and Museum to host annual 'Colonial Market Fair'," 8 June 2018
The important part is that this old leather almanac that somehow ended up on a backroom shelf at Union College once belonged to a family that was friendly with the Washingtons.

— avi selk, Washington Post, "A college says it found an old clump of George Washington’s hair. Hooray!," 14 Feb. 2018
As a child, one of my favorite days of the year was when the new almanac came out.

— mark thiessen, National Geographic, "30th Annual National Geographic Bee Winners Nail Tough Questions," 23 May 2018
Historical records project archivist Daniel Michelson found the almanac atop a bookshelf at the college's Schaffer Library.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "George Washington's hair found in New York college library book," 14 Feb. 2018
Archivists at a New York college library stumbled upon an intimate artifact of George Washington — a lock of his iconic grey hair, tucked in an 18th-century almanac.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "George Washington's hair found in New York college library book," 14 Feb. 2018
Library archivists found the snippet in an old almanac that belonged to Philip J. Schuyler, whose father was one of the college’s founders in 1795.

— mary esch, The Seattle Times, "Washington snipped here? College says it found prez’s hair," 18 Feb. 2018
The hair was discovered in a pocket-sized almanac for the year 1793 that belonged to Philip Schuyler, son of General Philip Schuyler, who served under Washington during the Revolutionary War and founded Union College in 1795.

— mary esch, Houston Chronicle, "Did Washington snip here? College says it found his hair," 18 Feb. 2018
How did a Founding Father’s follicles end up in a dusty almanac stored at Union College?

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Lock of Washington’s Hair Found in 18th-Century Almanac," 16 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'almanac.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of almanac

Middle English almenak, from Medieval Latin almanach, probably from Arabic al-manākh the almanac

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

ALMANAC Defined for English Language Learners

almanac

noun

Definition of almanac for English Language Learners

: a book published every year that contains facts about the movements of the sun and moon, changes in the tides, and information of general interest
: a book published every year that contains detailed information on a special subject